Paolo Rossi Football player Date of Birth: 23.09.1956 Country: Italy

Biography of Paolo Rossi

Paolo Rossi is an Italian footballer who played as a forward for the Italian national team from 1978-1986. He began his professional career in the 1972-1975 and 1982-1985 seasons with Juventus, one of the top clubs in Italy. Rossi then played for Como in 1975-1976, Vicenza in 1976-1979, Perugia in 1979-1980, Milan in 1985-1986, and Verona in 1986-1987.

During the 1976-1977 season, Rossi became the top scorer in Serie B with 21 goals and helped Vicenza gain promotion to Serie A. At the same time, Juventus was searching for a new center forward and considered Rossi as one of the candidates along with Virdis and Pruzzo. However, Juventus chose Virdis, which turned out to be a mistake as Rossi proved to be the most talented forward among the three.

Rossi's talent in football was nurtured from a young age by his father Vittorio, a textile factory worker in Prato and a devoted Fiorentina fan. He began playing in youth teams and caught the attention of Juventus, who signed him at the age of 15. However, Rossi faced multiple knee surgeries and had doubts about his football career. During his recovery, he focused on his education.

Juventus loaned Rossi to Como in 1975, and then to Perugia in 1979. In 1979, Rossi was involved in a match-fixing scandal, but he maintained his innocence and his ban was reduced to two years. After his ban ended, Juventus bought him back from Vicenza for a million dollars.

Rossi's career took a turn for the better when he represented Italy in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. Despite doubts about his form, Rossi proved himself by scoring crucial goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick against Brazil. He finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals and helped Italy win the World Cup.

After the World Cup, Rossi continued his successful club career with Juventus, winning numerous trophies including the European Cup. However, he struggled with a knee injury that hampered his goal-scoring abilities. In 1985, he joined Milan but only scored two goals during his time there. Rossi's final season was with Verona in 1986-1987, where he scored his last goal against Napoli.

Officially retiring from football in 1987, Rossi left a lasting legacy as one of Italy's greatest forwards. He was awarded the Golden Ball in 1982 and named the best player in Italy in the same year. Despite facing setbacks and challenges throughout his career, Rossi's talent and determination enabled him to achieve great success both at the club and international level.